Ugh! That was how I woke up yesterday. Why? Because I woke up to the realization that I completely forgot to upload my 52Frames photo for the week. The deadline is 11 pm (central) every Sunday, and with just a few winks of sleep, my 64-week streak ended! What made matters worse was I downloaded the photo selections from my camera moments before I drifted into La-la Land. 

I was sick over it. 

An hour or two later, I wondered why I was so annoyed over losing my streak. As I thought about it more, I realized the streak means nothing to me. 

I joined 52Frames to make sure I was engaged in something creative every week; I figured even if I were so embroiled in work that I was too drained for creative play, at least I’d have one photograph [per week] as evidence of creative fun. 

But there was a problem. 

For the sake of the streak, I usually found myself scrambling at the last minute to fulfill a prompt, and that often involved simply snapping a shot rather than crafting a story or even creating art. That was okay initially, but not long-term.

I find value in the principles of the Framer community, but completing the weekly assignments just for the sake of it no longer serves me.

I am proud that I consistently participated for a whole year (and a quarter) without missing, but as I fretted over forgetting to post, I acknowledged I didn’t have time to hone my craft through the prompts or interact with the community of photographers. That’s a problem because the point of 52Frames is to grow in the art form through the challenges and community engagement. 

Will I still participate? Yes. But only when I have time to devote to the challenges and only when the challenges serve my creative purposes. 

This is just one tiny way I am reclaiming April. 

What about you? Is there anything you’re doing out of habit or pseudo-obligation that is no longer serving you and is no longer truly benefitting you or anyone else? Maybe, it’s time to drop it and reclaim your time.

About the Image: Kathi G, one of my Wildflowers friends, sent the colorful artwork above for International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month. It features the art of Jaymee Laws. Kathi always sends supercool women’s empowerment postcards!